What you need to know
- Recent leaks suggest that Google is working on a custom Tensor chip for its future Pixel Watch, expected to launch in 2026.
- The upcoming Tensor chip, codenamed NPT, is said to include one ARM Cortex A78 core and two ARM Cortex A55 cores.
- The NPT chip is on track for 2026, but the leak is from 2023, so don’t be shocked if it sees some tweaks before its official debut.
An interesting leak spills the beans on Google’s Tensor plans, hinting at a custom chip for its future Pixel Watch, expected to launch in 2026.
A leaked document from Google’s gChips team, reported by Android Authority, reveals that the next Tensor chip for wearables, codenamed NPT, will feature one ARM Cortex A78 core and two ARM Cortex A55 cores. Granted, these CPU cores aren’t the newest, but they’re pretty standard in wearable technology.
The NPT chip is said to be on track for a 2026 release, but this leak is from 2023, so don’t be surprised if it gets a makeover before it actually goes on sale.
So far, Google’s Pixel Watch lineup has relied on off-the-shelf chipsets from Samsung and Qualcomm. The first Pixel Watch of 2022 is powered by the Samsung Exynos 9110, which uses the same processor approach as Pixel smartphones.
The Pixel Watch 2 and Watch 3, on the other hand, are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5+ chipset, which is a major advancement for Android smartwatches. This upgrade significantly improves battery life compared to the aging Exynos chip in the original Pixel Watch.
Other than these little things, there’s not much else to go on. A recent scoop from Android Authority reveals that Google plans to ditch Samsung’s Tensor chips for the Pixel 10 and 11 and replace them with an in-house design built by TSMC. Given this shift in strategy, it’s only natural to think that the company’s smartwatch product line will follow suit.
However, much remains unknown about wearable Tensor chips. The leaked information does not specify the node technology for these chips, but recent news about the Tensor G5 and G6, which are expected to be manufactured on the same 3nm process as Apple’s latest chips, provides some clues. I’ll give it to you. So it’s reasonable to expect that NPT chips might also take advantage of this cutting-edge process, which could mean significant improvements in battery life.
The Google Pixel Watch 3 has some nice tweaks compared to the Pixel Watch 2, but it’s a big step up from the first-generation model. So if you’re weighing up the choice between the 1st and 3rd generation, the new generation is worth considering.
